A competitive milestone seems inevitable for Muluh.
In powerlifting, certain lifters have the potential for World Record-adjacent feats during any run-of-the-mill workout or sanctioned competition. On Mar. 15, 2023, Sonita Muluh provided a wonderful example of this strength phenomenon when she captured a 280-kilogram (617.3-pound) raw back squat during a recent training session. Muluh wore wrist wraps, knee sleeves, and a lifting belt for the squat.
Muluh’s massive lift is especially notable since it is one kilogram (2.2 kilos) above the all-time raw World Record within the +90-kilogram weight class. In accordance with Open Powerlifting, the present mark belongs to April Mathis, who scored a squat of 278.9-kilograms (615 kilos) on the 2011 American Powerlifting Federation (APF) Southern States. Muluh is a usual +84-kilogram powerlifter under the International Powerlifting Federation’s (IPF) jurisdiction. That mark has proved untouchable for greater than a decade.
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If Muluh were to transfer this squat number to an IPF competition, it might be 2.9 kilograms (6.4 kilos) greater than Bonica Brown’s raw IPF World Record within the +84 category. Brown squatted 273.5 kilograms (602.9 kilos) in a 2022 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships performance and is renowned as one among the best powerlifters ever, with seven IPF World titles (2014-2019, 2022) to her name.
With the respective +84-kilogram and +90-kilogram divisions having no concrete weight caps, there may be also no underlying caveat to Muluh’s training achievement. It stays on par with Mathis and Brown for those non-weight cap reasons.
Per Open Powerlifting, here’s an outline of Muluh’s all-time raw competition bests. The athlete has only ever competed within the +84-kilogram weight class:
Sonita Muluh | All-Time Raw Competition Bests
- Squat — 270 kilograms (595.2 kilos)
- Bench Press — 137.5 kilograms (303.1 kilos)
- Deadlift — 253.5 kilograms (558.9 kilos)
- Total — 661 kilograms (1,457.2 kilos)
On the time of this text’s publication, Muluh doesn’t appear to have any upcoming contest plans. In recent Instagram posts, Muluh has mentioned a deal with reducing her body weight without specifically citing a possible change in weight class.
“Being on a cutting weight loss plan and 2kg [4.4 pounds] down already now at 120kg [264.5 pounds] body weight and weights are still moving.”
In the intervening time, it seems the athlete will wait to potentially set a World Record squat in competition. That said, Muluh’s competitive record is sterling, because the powerlifter has emerged victorious on eight of 11 occasions. Muluh is the defending European Powerlifting Federation (EPF) Champion within the raw +84-kilogram division. She has fallen in need of a competitive win only once in her six contest appearances of 2022, in that iteration of the IPF World Championships.
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The long run appears brilliant for Muluh, one among powerlifting’s established stars and names. It’s a reputation the game could soon see comfortably etched within the international record books.
Featured image: @sonita_ml on Instagram